Your views

Published: Saturday, May 24, 2008

Caution is urged for sake of letter carriers, dogs

I'm a dog lover and also respect the postman's job. He walks neighborhoods not knowing if a dog will attack him while many times the dog is trying to protect his family and property. If only a dog could know the good guy from the bad one.

One day we left our front door open with the glass door shut and locked. Suddenly, we heard our dogs barking and something banging on our door. We ran to the door to find our postman yelling, "I am not going to deliver your mail if your door is open." My dogs started going crazy because he just continued to stand there yelling through the glass door.

He said a dog had bit him last week and showed me the bite. He was waving one piece of mail like he wanted me to take it. He started yelling, "Do not open that (glass) door."

My dogs don't like someone on my porch yelling at me. The time that he took yelling he could have been on his way delivering other's mail. Although the glass door was locked, we were careless to leave the solid door open during the time our mailman arrives. Why he came to our porch hearing our dogs barking is very confusing. Why not just go on by? We could have gotten that bill another time.

For the sake of our postman and our dogs we, as residents, need to take caution every day, as well as the postman.

BRENDA WATTS/Lubbock

Time to bring back local passenger train service?

Why can't we have passenger train service in Lubbock again? I love train travel. I came from Miami, Fla., on a train and from Chicago, Ill., on the train. Both trips were in the 1950s. Great fun. Dining car and all the scenery. Must be even better today.

I hate to fly, so I did a search on the Internet. The closest train to us is in the Fort Worth-Dallas area. You take the bus there. Well, no thank you. I want the relaxing train trip and the scenic observation car vacation.

Could we use the $6 million to build a large train depot and put a small visitor kiosk in it?

NAN TULLOS/Lubbock

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State should have kept kids and moms at ranch

I would very much like to know why the state of Texas did not take over the Zion ranch and keep the kids and moms there. That ranch would make the greatest children's home. The state of Texas has done harm to those kids.

If our government entities had any common sense, they would have taken over the ranch (wasn't there illegal activity going on there?) and brought in people to sort things out and cause less trauma to the kids and saved a ton of taxpayer money.

CPS has done a great disservice to our state and just reassured me that our government entities have no common sense.

MAGGIE McNAB/Lubbock

Tour' of neighborhood by students criticized

In Tech Terrace, students ride bikes on a 10-mile "tour" from house to house drinking all day to finish at a house party. I know the saying, "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it," so I can write as a past participant.

The "tour" seems like a great idea, but it is a disgrace to our neighborhood and participants.

Many people on this ride are under-aged and alcohol is provided without question! They must donate food, but almost any student can afford a can for a drinking binge. Unlawful!

Second, drinking all day is dangerous enough, not to mention riding a bike in traffic, as Boston through Flint are well traveled by cars. In fact, these areas are considering traffic circles to reduce the traffic. I've seen people ride in front of cars, hold up traffic, and cause collisions.

These people don't have any regard for their neighbors either. At each house, there are cans and litter left in everyone's yard, not just the participating house. With one designated house per block, bikes are everywhere and trash is dumped. I have yet to see any cyclists pick up after drinking.

They ride through your yard. Not just a few, but hundreds. After the waste, under-aged drinkers, and accidents, I'd have to say "Tour de Tech Terrace" is a disgrace to the neighborhood, Texas Tech, and the city of Lubbock.

What can anyone do about it? The LPD showed up the first year and nothing was done. Pathetic.